Quality of Life Comparison

If you lived in Benin instead of United States, you would:

be 73.5% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese. In Benin, that number is 9.6% of people.

live 17.7 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women). In Benin, that number is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 years for women).

Economy

be 77.3% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed. In Benin, that number is 1.0%.

make 96.1% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,500, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $2,300.

be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2%.

Life

have 2.8 times more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people. In Benin, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people.

be 28.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 14.0 women per 1,000 births die during labor. In Benin, 405.0 women do.

be 9.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.8 children die before they reach the age of one. In Benin, on the other hand, 52.8 children do.

Basic Needs

be 71.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In United States, 100% of the population has electricity access. In Benin, 29% of the population do.

be 84.3% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 76.2% of the population has internet access. In Benin, about 12.0% do.

be 21.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In United States, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas). In Benin, that number is 78% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 72% in rural areas).

Expenditures

spend 12.0% less on education

United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education. Benin spends 4.4% of total GDP on education.

spend 73.1% less on healthcare

United States spends 17.1% of its total GDP on healthcare. In Benin, that number is 4.6% of GDP.

Geography

see 99.4% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

Benin: At a glance

Benin is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 110,622 sq km. Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a West African kingdom that rose to prominence in about 1600 and over the next two and half centuries became a regional power, largely based on its slave trade. Coastal areas of Dahomey began to be controlled by the French in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960; it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. YAYI, who won a second five-year term in March 2011, has attempted to stem corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.

How big is Benin compared to United States?
See an in-depth size comparison.